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From: robinson@star.enet.dec.com (Dave Robinson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.audio
Subject: "Multitasking with MIDI" in _Electronic Musician_
Message-ID: <20356@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Date: 19 Feb 91 21:45:23 GMT
Sender: newsdaemon@shlump.nac.dec.com
Reply-To: robinson@star.enet.dec.com (Dave Robinson)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 101


  The March 1991 issue of _Electronic Musician_ presents an
  article titled "Multitasking with MIDI", by Rudy Trubitt that I
  believe damns the Amiga with faint praise.   But, since the
  article mentions the Amiga instead of ignoring it, and since
  _Electronic Musician_ (EM) is a magazine I respect, I thought
  I'd enter this request for information before I write a letter
  to EM.   It could be they are right and I am wrong.   If not,
  then I could use some validation or expert opinions as to the
  status of MIDI multitasking with the Amiga compared to other
  MIDI fluent computers.

  Here are excerpts used without permission from the two page
  article. Starting at the top:

  "How many things can you do at once? Can you simultaneously
  answer the phone, write a note, and watch for the mailman?  If
  you're human, this is called "self-employment". If you're a
  computer, it's "multitasking". Not all computers can run
  several programs, or "tasks," at once; to do so requires a
  "multitasking operating system" such as Commodore's "AmigaDOS"
  or Microsoft's "Windows 3.0".  Multitasking originally was
  developed to let several users share one big computer, but
  today's multitasking computers are dedicated to a single
  person"

  .
  .
  .
  
  [Info about MAC multifinder & MIDI manager...]
  
  [Info about  Microsoft "Windows" multimedia spec currently
  released to developers]
  
  [Mention of Atari's announced MIDItasking, DR T's MPE, C-Lab's
  "Softlink", Steinberg's "MROS", and Hybrid Arts' "HybriSwitch"
  that provide "varying degrees of functionality...not compatible
  with each other" ]

  . 
  . 
  . 

  Multitasking was built into the "Amiga" hardware and operating
  system from the beginning, not added.   However, Commodore
  established no standard to exchange information between
  programs.  Thus, multiple MIDI programs can run but not share
  data.  Commodore reportedly is working on a "MIDI Manager-like"
  program to address this problem, but at this point, only                  
  proprietary third-party systems such as DR. T's MPE let one
  program send MIDI data to another.

  Things will get interesting as multitasking and real-time
  data-sharing become more common.  For instance, instead of one
  big sequencer program, a number of smaller modules from various
  sources could provide the building blocks for each of us to                  
  construct our unique work environment. Of course, this would
  require unprecedented cooperations between software companies.
  But hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

  End of article.

  So, can people please provide lots of data.  Opinions are OK ,but I 
  know everyone here likes the Amiga.  What I really need is data:

  o An update on the MIDI Manager-like" standard Commodore is
    developing.

  o Examples of multitasking MIDI applications and data
    sharing.

  o Explain whether Bars & Pipes is internally multitasking and 
    what that means compared to other platforms' sequencers etc.

  o Where do Arexx and the clipboard fit into a possible
    rebuttal to the statement about no data sharing standard?

    Notes:

  I personally can run a mini home brew patch save/load program
  along with Bars and Pipes.  I have to disable MIDI in B & P before I
  send & receive SYSEX messages, which means it is task
  switching, but I suspect I could use the Bars and Pipes AREXX
  port to trigger a similar patch librarian.  Can't I do that with
  the Amiga?  Can other computers do this?

  Can't someone with two serial ports and two MIDI interfaces
  load patches on one synth while a sequencer plays another?

  I have heard of people playing Deluxe Music scores and piping
  the output into other sequencers in order to create Standard
  Midi Files. Can someone verify this or provide similar
  examples.

  Thanks,

  Dave Robinson
  robinson@star.enet.dec.com